


Lucky

by 7Threes



Series: Jigsaw Falling Into Place [5]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi-Centric, Fix-It of Sorts, Mental Health Issues, Persona 5 Protagonist is from Inaba, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, RSD | Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, Self-Hatred, Self-Loathing, Slow Burn, Songfic, Spoilers, Swearing, Time-Loop AU, Trippy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-27 15:00:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18195716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7Threes/pseuds/7Threes
Summary: Part 5 of many to a series attributed under the name “Jigsaw Falling Into Place”, not to be confused with the work that will occur later on. Check the collection description for more details on the series as a whole.After work, Akechi takes his much deserved rest at a coffee shop that Sae recommended, then encounters someone he never expected to find.





	Lucky

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I'm finally in the mental state to make amendments here haha.
> 
> Changing the ending notes yeet.

When he arrived at the cafe that Sae recommended, he found it odd to pick a nook like Yongen-Jaya. Especially in the robust and retro cafe Leblanc appeared to be.

 

He pushed open the doors and didn’t even try to hide his frown from the man working the shop. When he sat down on the stool he found himself recognizing the wooden-dusty-coffee smell, and wondered where it was from.

 

He tried distracting himself a bit, and did schoolwork while sometimes he would stop to take a drink of his coffee. He tried to waste the night away there instead of being in the familiar setting of his apartment.

 

Eventually, when most patrons had left, the man working there- Sakura -turned to Akechi, “You better not be here because of her.” The stern man folded his arms.

 

“What?” Akechi questioned before it donned upon him,  _ He’s that Sojiro Sakura that’s taking care of Ishiki’s, isn’t he.  _ “Ah, oh, no, Sakura-san. I’m just here to enjoy a cup of coffee.” he put on that plastic smile like he always did, but part of him shrunk inside when Sakura looked down on him with continued suspicion and skepticism.

 

“Then what’s it about? Is this about the kid?” 

 

_ The kid? He’s not talking about Isshiki’s this time, is he? What does he mean? _

 

However, Sakura relented once he recognized the genuine confusion on Akechi’s face, “Never mind, kid. Just call me ‘Boss’, too.”

 

The man turned back to reading the newspaper, roughly waving out the paper as he squinted to make out the letters.

 

Akechi let out a sigh of relief, because he honestly couldn’t trust himself to prevent himself from cracking and breaking his facade. He turned back to his work and was about to take a sip when-

 

_ *Jingle-Jingle _

_ Jingle* _

  
  


_ *Clack* _

  
  


“Why’re you back so damn late, kid?!”

  
  
  


Akechi looked over-

  
  
  
  
  
  


-and it was  _ him _ .

  
  
  
  


The detective tried to keep his composure instead of beating the shit out of Kurusu for only doing hypothetical things that Akechi imagined, but instead offered a soft, “Ah, it’s you again.”

 

Kurusu briefly acknowledged Akechi and faced Sakura who glared at him with eyes as sharp as knives. The gaze then shifted to Akechi, “Do you know this  _ troublemaker _ ?”

 

_ This must be Kurusu’s place to stay during his probation here... _ Akechi frowned internally due to this, but then found that it might have been a blessing in disguise, “Yes, I do. I’m making sure he isn’t doing anything wrong.” Akechi gave Kurusu a pointed look, and the other boy merely gave him a deadpan look in return.

 

Akechi was a bit ticked that Kurusu was so unperturbed by his presence, but he also figured that under Sakura’s eye he’d be caught.

 

“I got mugged.” Kurusu shrugged back into himself, and clearly used defensive body language.

 

“Wha-?! Are you serious?” Sakura was taken about with audible concern in his voice before his stern voice returned, “You better not be getting yourself into trouble, you hear?”

 

Kurusu shook slightly before stopping himself, “Okay.” he then looked down and walked into his room in the attic of Leblanc.

 

Akechi looked to Sakura, who had his arms folded and a worried gaze towards the stairs, “Damn it, I don’t know how to be.”

 

“If this is how it is, I might just start coming here for Kurusu-kun.” Akechi told Sakura, who scoffed, “You and those other four.”

 

“Excuse me?” he asked, curious.

 

“There’s the loud one, I thought he’d cause trouble but he’s harmless. There’s the pretty one who’s nice, too. Then that Kitagawa boy who gave me this painting-“ Sakura jabbed his thumb over to the slightly-off Sayuri, as Akechi recognized, “-and recently there’s that student council president. You might know her through our  _ mutual friend _ .”

 

“Ah, Niijima-san, really? I’ve only seen her come in a few times to give Sae-san a new pair of clothes. I didn’t expect that of someone like him.” Akechi commented.

 

“You mean a  _ criminal _ , right?” Sakura scowled, “Personally, I don’t know what to think. He seems like a nice kid, but… there are those people.”

 

“From when we’ve spoken, I don’t find him to be a bad person, nor do I think that assault charge was justified. After looking through it, the case seemed suspicious.” Akechi folded his arms, “He told me about how he learned to seek for justice years ago, and now it seems like he’s fallen victim to an unjust system.”

 

The man raised his brow and appraised Akechi’s expression for a few moments before sighing and relenting, and he sat back down and rolled up the newspaper. “He’s a weird kid. Always goes out to help his friends or to better himself. He comes back real late, and even if I gave him the keys, I’m worried. He got all friendly with the local doctor, even! Hangs out with his teacher, some politician, and now I found out he knows you. He says he got mugged tonight- I’m so damn worried he’s getting into trouble-“

 

_ Politician, _ Akechi frowned,  _ Better not be who I know. _ “I can go check up on him to see if he’s okay, you know.”

 

“Fine,” Sakura relented, “maybe you’ll understand him better. I’m no good with these kids.”

 

Akechi gave Sakura a sympathetic look as he watched the man give up, before he walked up the creaky steps to Kurusu’s attic room.

 

“Kurusu-kun…?”

 

“You don’t need to call me that.” Kurusu looked down at his hands defeated.

 

“What really happened then, Akira?” Akechi asked, eyeing the stuffed walled littered among other things on the bed that Kurusu sat upon the edge of. The dark-haired boy sighed before closing in on himself, “I might’ve almost died today.”

 

Akechi’s eyes widened as he thought  _ This motherfucker is definitely involved in some illegal shit. _ “What!?”

 

“Hush, hush… quiet down…” Akira paused for a few moments to wait until Akechi’s form relaxed, “I have this friend who I work for- he makes model guns -and some Yakuza wanted to buy a shit load of models. My friend didn’t want to, so… the guy kidnapped his son and held him at knifepoint… I… I just had a hectic night.”

 

“Are you  _ serious _ ?” Akechi was skeptical, but not angry. It was odd, how he wasn’t. “Only  _ model  _ guns? And you expect me to believe that?”

 

“ _ Yes _ ,” Akira grumbled, “We uncovered that the Yakuza guy got stiffed on a deal for guns by some Chinese Yakuza, and he needed the model guns because he’d be fucked otherwise.”

 

“That sounds almost cartoonish.” Akechi huffed, sitting himself down beside Akira.

 

“I don’t know, Akechi. It just feels like I’ve been living a hectic life ever since I moved from the country. It’s almost like a dream, and sometimes when I wake up I’m not sure if it’s April or if it’s  _ now _ , because it feels like I’ve lived through this so many times before.” Akira balls his hands into his face.

 

_ Isn’t this awfully deep for our second time talking?  _ Akechi found himself thinking,  _ But then if Akira feels like he’s lived through this hundreds of times, then doesn’t that mean- _ “Do you think you’ve met me many times before, then?”

 

“ _ Yes _ \- no, sometimes maybe? This… I’d like to say ‘ _ rendition _ ’, of you is different than all the others… makes me wonder if I’ve finally woken up or if the dream has just  _ evolved _ .”

 

“Well I  _ know  _ I’m real, so then this must be reality.” Akechi reasoned before quirking his eyebrows, “You’re not on drugs, are you?” 

 

Akira’s stressed look fell into a deadpan one as he turned to Akechi and huffed, “I may be a criminal, but I’m  _ not  _ a delinquent.”

 

That made Akechi genuinely laugh.

 

“But seriously, if this is the one  _ true  _ reality then its name is  _ Fucked _ and I’m the main character.” Akira said, “I keep seeing people die in my head, seeing myself die. I wake up in cold sweats and hear a voice in my head when all is quiet.”

 

_ Like Loki. _ Akechi unconsciously thought, “Really? Can you tell me about it?”

 

“Well, this one time… Ryuji was running on a ship, I’m not sure why but we were sinking. We were going to die, and he released a lifeboat and then he…” Akira swallowed, “He was blasted in an explosion and we never found him. Another time, the floor kept falling and I got crushed- the feeling was all too vivid, it didn’t feel like a dream at all. One time me and all these people- some faceless -disintegrate into nothing and everyone forgets we even  _ existed _ . And the voices-“ Akira paused for a second, “-they talk to me in a strange way. They warn me, tell me what to say and what to do. Some more clear than others. Some more cryptic.

 

“One time, I heard some slurred voice. It told me,  _ ‘It’s the devil’s way now, there is no way out; you can scream and you can shout, it’s too late now’ _ . What does that even mean? Another said ‘ _ You’ve been here before; you’ve seen it all, but your conscience won’t recall - and your eyes are barely wide enough to realize what your heart keeps giving up’ _ . I’m going crazy, I swear.”

 

Akechi froze, and he heard the small voice in his own head call out to him in his teasing manner.

 

_ “I suspect, ooh… You’ve been carrying a pack of wolves, _

 

_ “A pack of wolves _

 

_ “A pack of… _

 

A dark chuckle,

 

_ “Glossolalia coats my skin, glycerine and turbulence… _

 

_ “Stuff the voice inside a god, mirrors to the animals.” _

 

There was pounding in Akechi’s head as the words registered in his mind, the typical action of Loki teasing him tore him apart. Akira noticed this, of course, “Is everything alright Akechi?”

 

Akechi turned to look at Akira and put on his plastic smile, “Ah, yes. I’m fine, Ku-... Akira…”

 

Akira frowned, his gray eyes oddly almost glowing as he stared at Akechi silently. When the detective stared back as well, Akira relented and sighed, “Well, I’ve bothered you enough with my existential crisis. Just don’t forget that I’m here now.”

 

Akechi frowned back, “I don’t mind it, Akira. I find it interesting to talk to you.”

 

“Hah, that’s so dumb.” Akira covered his eyes with his arm, prompting Akechi to look at him questioningly. “Why does everyone focus on me? Even when they have an identity, I… don’t so much.” Akira paused for a second before laying back on his uncomfortable bed, “Ryuji’s loud, honest,  _ loyal _ , emotional- Ann’s pretty, funny, and cool. Yusuke is a talented artist, he’s a bit awkward but he’s funny. Makoto’s smart and tough…”

 

“Are we talking about the same Niijima-san here?” Akechi questioned and Akira rolled his eyes.

 

“They all have something about them. They all have definitive things that are  _ them _ , but I’m  _ nothing _ . I’m…  _ empty _ . A blank slate.”

 

Akechi remembered Igor say something similar when his power was bestowed upon him;

 

_ “You will encounter people who align with these different cards - your fate is tied with them. You are blessed with the Wild Card, and will encounter others like you in your time. You are a blank slate, think of a zero that can be changed into anything - you are that number. Over the time you rehabilitate the world, you will also grow, eventually maturing at the end of your journey.” _

 

Akechi wondered if Akira was way more similar to him than he first thought.

**Author's Note:**

> It's really hard to start calling Akechi by his first name so uh I'm just going to say that the reasoning behind it is that Akira is in the habit of calling Akechi by his surname in order to not give Akechi a hard time with the press after being referred to via first name;;
> 
> Also, you've probably notice that I keep dumping lyrics into this work. The titles all come from Radiohead songs in the first place, and Akechi's Personas speak as Cedric Bixler-Zavala because his lyrics are often erratic, emotional, and convoluted. In particular, Loki speaks through The Mars Volta lyrics because The Mars Volta is known to be more experimental and crazy, while Robin Hood speaks in At The Drive-In lyrics because they're more geared towards common musical formulas. I also chose The Mars Volta for Loki because their albums are generally the tellings of stories with nonfictional basis, and explore themes of self-hatred, abuse, searching for family, revenge, and the generally morally ambiguous stuff, and I sample often from Frances The Mute. I've noticed that with At The Drive-In, their musical styles are more digestible like Akechi's front of being a person of justice, though still have bizarre lyrical choices, which reflects the superficial nature of his fans who simply admire him for his appearance and charisma, and don't seem to care much for his history as a detective. So while At The Drive-In may sing lyrics about the murders of women being covered up (Invalid Litter Dept.) or about how their group won't persist because their drug use is destroying them (One-Armed Scissor), people will still listen to the music and jam to it without really understanding the deeper meaning.
> 
> For Akira, I chose Radiohead because I often equate them to being on the other side of the same coin as The Mars Volta. Thom Yorke's lyrical style is more ethereal and hovers in the song, while Cedric Bixler-Zavala generally imposes himself strongly on his pieces. Cedric is also very annunciated and carries strong emotion in his music, i.e. Inertiatic ESP where he has this tone of panic and confusion along with frustration, while Thom keeps things muted and distant. Even in more active songs (2 + 2 = 5, Optimistic, Paranoid Android, Bodysnatchers, 15 Step, Electioneering, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, Jigsaw Falling Into Place), Thom maintains an energy like cold currents pushing at a bed of sand. While Radiohead is also experimental, they are subtle in their experimentation, and create approachable, digestible songs while still being special and different. They are more calm and don't always stuff lyrics in, tending to keep less as more. I think this is very reflective of Akira's behavior as a generally silent protagonist, and how grounded and down-to-earth he is compared to Akechi. It's difficult to approach Akechi because he's special and everyone knows it, but Akira is just as special in his own quiet way.
> 
> Anyway, enough of that, if you even read it.
> 
> I mostly wrote this series because I'm dissatisfied with the writing in the game, which felt like they wrote the beginning and the end at first, then spent development hell by improving the graphics, then last-minute patched the story together. The characters are shoved into boxes where they don't belong, and it gets hard to care about what they say. So I'm going to try on improving on that.


End file.
